Colyton’s biggest
Peace Memorial Playing Field
Playing field
5.3 ha (13 acres)
7 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Colyton
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Colin Smith · CC BY-SA 2.0A+Outdoors Grade
Outdoors in Colyton · parks, paths & countryside
79% of the land within 5 km of Colyton is National Park or National Landscape
The East Devon National Landscape reaches the edge of Colyton. Parks and playing fields in Colyton add up to 3.5 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical UK town has 2.1. The sea makes up 7% of the area within 5 km. Colyton grades A+ for the outdoors. A character grade: it isn’t part of the overall grade.
Green space
3.5 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical UK town 2.1
Near a park
100%
of residents within 400 m
Typical UK town 83%
Footpaths
21 km
2.2 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical UK town 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
79%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: East Devon National Landscape
The sea
7%
of the area within 5 km
Character
What kind of outdoors village is Colyton?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Protected countryside79% of the land within 5 km is East Devon National Landscape.A park on every doorstep100% of residents live within 400 m of a park or playing field.Room to roam3.5 ha of parks and playing fields per 1,000 residents, more than 76% of UK towns.
Colyton’s strongest suit is protected countryside on the doorstep, followed by parks close to every home.
Outdoors grade
Colyton grades A+ for the outdoors
Each chart is every UK town of 1,000 or more on one measure: the green bar is Colyton, the dashed line the typical town. The number is the share of towns it beats; the five are averaged and the average ranked again.
A+
Better than 98% of UK towns4th of 60 UK villages its size
Public green space3.5 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
76out of
100
100
A park within a walk100%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
89out of
100
100
National Park or National Landscape79%of the land within 5 km
97out of
100
100
Footpaths2.2 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
35out of
100
100
The sea7%of the area within 5 km
85out of
100
100
Graded, never part of the overall grade (like History and Civic life). It measures what is mapped: OS Open Greenspace leaves out woodland and open-access land that isn’t a park, and OpenStreetMap’s rural paths are more complete in some places than others.
Villages its size
Colyton is 4th of 60 UK villages its size for the outdoors
The 60 UK towns and cities of 1,800 to 2,000 people with an Outdoors Grade. Hover a dot for its figures; tap one for its page.
Outdoors score: the share of UK towns each one beats
Footpath, km per km²
Colyton2.2
Villages its size2.2
Devon towns1.8
All UK towns3.0
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Colyton3.5
Villages its size2.2
Devon towns1.9
All UK towns2.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Colyton100%
Villages its size77%
Devon towns84%
All UK towns83%
Against villages its size, Colyton stands out most for park space per resident: only 12 of the other 59 have more.
Show as a table
| Town | Outdoors | Green space | Near a park | Path per km² | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Westbourne West Sussex | A+ | 9.6 | 100% | 4.1 | 57% |
| 2 | Capel-le-Ferne Kent | A+ | 21.8 | 88% | 4 | 52% |
| 3 | Kirkby Stephen Cumbria | A+ | 4.9 | 100% | 3.7 | 65% |
| 4 | Colyton Devon | A+ | 3.5 | 100% | 2.2 | 79% |
| 5 | Brading Isle of Wight | A+ | 2.9 | 84% | 4.2 | 21% |
| 6 | Chilworth Surrey | A+ | 10.8 | 80% | 6.1 | 59% |
| 7 | Ickleford Hertfordshire | A− | 3.7 | 82% | 3.7 | 11% |
| 8 | South Nutfield Surrey | A− | 2.5 | 100% | 2.7 | 11% |
| 9 | Lyminge Kent | A− | 3.5 | 83% | 2.1 | 90% |
| 10 | Little Haywood Staffordshire | A− | 1.3 | 100% | 3.3 | 34% |
| 11 | Kirkby Lonsdale Cumbria | B+ | 9.2 | 74% | 2.2 | 40% |
| 12 | Pontesbury Shropshire | B+ | 3.1 | 63% | 3.8 | 28% |
| 13 | Highnam Gloucestershire | B+ | 12 | 100% | 2.1 | 0% |
| 14 | Polesworth Warwickshire | B+ | 13.5 | 100% | 2 | 0% |
| 15 | Wingates Greater Manchester | B+ | 2.6 | 100% | 3.2 | 0% |
| 16 | Ingoldmells Lincolnshire | B+ | 2.8 | 83% | 2.3 | 0% |
| 17 | Southgate West Glamorgan | B+ | 1.1 | 21% | 3.7 | 56% |
| 18 | Chinley Derbyshire | B+ | 1.2 | 78% | 4.4 | 53% |
| 19 | Martlesham Suffolk | B | 2.1 | 69% | 3.8 | 24% |
| 20 | Partridge Green West Sussex | B | 2.1 | 100% | 3.3 | 0% |
| 21 | Wrotham Kent | B | 1.6 | 100% | 1.6 | 49% |
| 22 | Beare Green Surrey | B | 1.6 | 70% | 3.9 | 30% |
| 23 | Dilton Marsh Wiltshire | B− | 2.1 | 67% | 3.5 | 4% |
| 24 | Hutton Cranswick East Riding of Yorkshire | B− | 5 | 100% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 25 | Wrea Green Lancashire | B− | 3.5 | 100% | 1.3 | 0% |
| 26 | Whitland Dyfed | B− | 4.4 | 100% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 27 | Wooler Northumberland | B− | 3.3 | 81% | 0.8 | 26% |
| 28 | Stow-on-the-Wold Gloucestershire | B− | 3.4 | 64% | 1.2 | 88% |
| 29 | Oxenhope West Yorkshire | B− | 1.8 | 80% | 4.5 | 0% |
| 30 | Leeswood Clwyd | C+ | 4 | 83% | 0.7 | 2% |
| 31 | Wickham Bishops Essex | C+ | 3.4 | 91% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 32 | Hockley Heath West Midlands | C+ | 2.6 | 86% | 2.5 | 0% |
| 33 | Northiam East Sussex | C+ | 2.2 | 76% | 0.8 | 100% |
| 34 | Stratton Cornwall | C+ | 0.8 | 23% | 3 | 8% |
| 35 | High Spen Tyne and Wear | C+ | 3.3 | 74% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 36 | Hatton Warwickshire | C | 1.6 | 100% | 2 | 0% |
| 37 | Ramsden Heath Essex | C | 2.3 | 82% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 38 | Presteigne Powys | C | 3.2 | 61% | 2.8 | 0% |
| 39 | Sleights North Yorkshire | C | 0.9 | 30% | 1.5 | 80% |
| 40 | Rode Heath Cheshire | C | 0.9 | 100% | 2.4 | 0% |
| 41 | Newton Poppleford Devon | C | 1.4 | 44% | 2.3 | 60% |
| 42 | Barrow Suffolk | C− | 1.1 | 100% | 1.6 | 0% |
| 43 | Chivenor and Wrafton Devon | C− | 0.6 | 0% | 1.7 | 17% |
| 44 | Black Notley Essex | C− | 1.6 | 36% | 3.9 | 0% |
| 45 | Littlethorpe Leicestershire | C− | 0.4 | 57% | 4.7 | 0% |
| 46 | Stocksfield Northumberland | C− | 2.2 | 40% | 2.6 | 0% |
| 47 | Broughton Northamptonshire | D | 2.7 | 70% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 48 | Cookley Worcestershire | D | 2.3 | 52% | 1.8 | 0% |
| 49 | Brompton-on-Swale North Yorkshire | D | 2.1 | 71% | 1.4 | 0% |
| 50 | Manby Lincolnshire | D | 1.4 | 68% | 0.8 | 2% |
| 51 | Cropwell Bishop Nottinghamshire | D | 0.7 | 45% | 3.5 | 0% |
| 52 | Hutton Rudby North Yorkshire | D | 1.6 | 35% | 1.1 | 13% |
| 53 | Morda Shropshire | D | 0.7 | 84% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 54 | Little Plumstead Norfolk | D | 0.6 | 64% | 1 | 16% |
| 55 | Shawbury Shropshire | D− | 2.2 | 30% | 0.9 | 0% |
| 56 | Wheldrake North Yorkshire | D− | 1.4 | 72% | 0.8 | 0% |
| 57 | Colnbrook Berkshire | D− | 0.6 | 68% | 1.7 | 0% |
| 58 | Tollerton Nottinghamshire | D− | 0.6 | 19% | 1.9 | 0% |
| 59 | Rossett Clwyd | D− | 0.3 | 55% | 1.5 | 0% |
| 60 | Goostrey Cheshire | D− | 0.3 | 42% | 1.7 | 0% |
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Colyton’s built-up area.
Green space: parks, gardens, playing fields and play spaces, named or not.© OpenStreetMap contributors · Contains OS data © Crown copyright · Natural England / NRW
Places to walk
Parks to walk in, in and around Colyton
The biggest is Peace Memorial Playing Field, 5.3 ha (13 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
Close to home
Everyone in Colyton lives within a 5-minute walk of a park
Each square is 1 in 100 residents: green lives within 400 m of a public park, garden or playing field (Census 2021 output areas against OS Open Greenspace).
Within 400 m (100%)Further (0%)
Colyton100%
Villages its size77%
Devon towns84%
All UK towns83%
Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 5 playgrounds are mapped in and around the village, about one for every 388 residents.
National Parks & National Landscapes
National Parks and National Landscapes around Colyton
Protected landscapes within 30 km, by direction and distance from the edge of the built-up area; circle size shows each one’s area. National Landscapes were called Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty until 2023.
National ParkNational LandscapeThe 5 km the grade counts
National Landscape
East Devon
At the edge south-east269 km²since 196377% of the land within 5 km
Official siteNational Landscape
Blackdown Hills
2.5 mi north370 km²since 19912% of the land within 5 km
Official site79% of the land within 5 km of Colyton is National Park or National Landscape, more than 96% of UK towns.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
4 waymarked walks pass through or near Colyton
21 km of footpaths, bridleways and rights of way are mapped in Colyton and the kilometre around it, 2.2 km for every square kilometre (the typical UK town has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the village.
RegionalOther waymarked
Monmouth Rebellion Walk8.9 km
East Devon Way8.0 km
Channel to Channel7.8 km
Seaton Tramway Walk5.0 km
3 regional routes pass through, including the Monmouth Rebellion Walk, East Devon Way and Channel to Channel.
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Public rights of way are only as complete as the map in each area.
When to get out
The best walking months in Colyton: May to September
The village’s 1991–2020 averages (Met Office HadUK-Grid) and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have 12½+ hours of daylight, highs of 15 °C or more and little rain for the town.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 8.4 | 9.9 | 11.7 | 13.7 | 15.5 | 16.5 | 16.1 | 14.5 | 12.5 | 10.6 | 8.9 | 8.0 |
| High (°C) | 8 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 17 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 19 | 15 | 11 | 9 |
| Rain (mm) | 106 | 85 | 81 | 76 | 64 | 70 | 69 | 93 | 80 | 120 | 130 | 119 |
May is the driest month (64 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 21 °C). Winter days are short, about 8 hours of daylight in December, and 130 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 30 nights a year. The climate in Colyton →
The coast
Colyton is near the sea
7% of the area within 5 km of Colyton is sea. 4 beaches are mapped within 5 km, 2 with a name.
Seaton Beach1.9 mi from town
DirectionsBeer Roads2.7 mi from town
DirectionsSea: the area outside the ONS coastline (mean high water). Bathing water quality is published by the Environment Agency (England) and Natural Resources Wales; check it before swimming.
Things to do
4 viewpoints and 5 playgrounds
Mapped within 2 km of the village in OpenStreetMap, against the typical UK village its size per resident. Named places are listed with directions; unnamed ones are only counted.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 4
Viewing Point0.7 mi from town
DirectionsViewing Platform0.9 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 2 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 5
Plus 5 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campsites 2
Plus 2 campsites without a name on the map.
Next door
The outdoors in nearby towns
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 12 miles. Tap a town for its outdoors page.
SeatonBeerAxminsterUplymeLyme RegisHonitonColyton
ABCDOutdoors Grade
Uplyme, 5 miles away, grades A+, the best next door: every resident lives within 400 m of a park.
Questions about the outdoors in Colyton
What is the biggest park in Colyton?
Peace Memorial Playing Field, 5.3 ha (13 acres). 1 named park, garden or playing field is in the village or within 400 m of it.
Is Colyton near a National Park?
It covers 269 km² and was designated in 1963.
What are the best walks near Colyton?
4 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the village, including the Monmouth Rebellion Walk, East Devon Way and Channel to Channel.
How many people in Colyton live near a park?
100% of residents live within 400 m, about a 5-minute walk, of a public park, garden or playing field (Census 2021 output areas against OS Open Greenspace). The typical UK town is 83%.
When is the best time of year for walking in Colyton?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Is Colyton good for walking?
Paths are thinner than most towns: 2.2 km of footpath and right of way per square kilometre, more than 35% of UK towns. For park space per person it beats 76% (3.5 ha per 1,000 residents).
How is the Outdoors Grade worked out?
From five measures, each placed among UK towns of 1,000 or more: public green space per resident, the share living near a park, National Park or National Landscape within 5 km, footpaths per square kilometre, and the sea within 5 km. It is a character grade and isn’t part of Colyton’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Colyton’s outdoors figures come from
- Parks and green space: Ordnance Survey OS Open Greenspace (parks and gardens, playing fields, play spaces, and their access points). Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026, Open Government Licence v3.0.
- National Parks and National Landscapes: Natural England and Natural Resources Wales boundaries, areas and designation dates, Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Footpaths, walking routes, beaches and things to do: © OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database License (ODbL), via Geofabrik, 16 October 2026.
- Historic parks, listed buildings and monuments: Historic England, National Heritage List for England, Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Rain and temperature: Met Office HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 averages for the town; daylight calculated from its latitude.
- The sea: ONS Countries (December 2024) boundaries clipped to mean high water. Residents near a park: ONS Census 2021 output areas.
- Grade: TownRatings’ Outdoors Grade, ranked against UK towns only.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.